Police have identified the man they say fatally gunned down a mentally disturbed individual on a Bronx subway platform on Tuesday during a wild brawl, before begging his family for help while covered in blood.
According to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny, 27-year-old Alberto Frias got into an altercation with 41-year-old Adrian Dawodu inside of the 170 Street Station just before 3 p.m. on Feb. 10. Dawodu himself is known to frequent the station and is often seen by MTA staff yelling to himself and others.
On that day, police reported, Dawodu is spotted on video surveillance entering the station while muttering to himself before sitting on a bench on the southbound platform.
Meanwhile, Frias was observed standing mere feet away when they got into an argument that sparked a fistfight.
“They square up. He shows him the pistol, and our guy doesn’t care. He goes right for him. He starts throwing lefts, and our victim is winning the fight. He almost throws our guy onto the tracks,” Chief Kenny said. “The fight extends all the way down the platform, probably about 25 feet. They come together, and this is where our victim gets shot.”
A viral video circulating online shows the moment Dawodu was downed with a single gunshot to the groin area. As the gunman fled, the victim was left to bleed out profusely. EMS rushed him to Lincoln Hospital, where he could not be saved and was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile, police say they tracked Frias to his apartment building on 172nd Street and Townsend Avenue, where he showed up covered in blood and made a desperate plea to his girlfriend to order him a cab so he could make an escape.
“We have him on video running back to the apartment. He’s very frantic. He meets up with his girlfriend and another family member, asking them to get him an Uber. They order him a Lyft. But, actually, while he changes his clothing, he drops the shell case he must have had in his clothing. He leaves the shell casing at the scene, inside of his apartment, in his bedroom,” Chief Kenny says.
He was last seen taking the taxi to Harlem, where he is now being hunted by the warrant squad.
Frias has previously been arrested for domestic violence and a loaded firearm.
Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
